Larp Question Tuesday: Six Minutes Later....

Gunnar

Squire
Sometimes you die in a bush in the dark, but sometimes you die at the hand of the greatest evil. What's your favourite resurrection-related story?
 
I'd pissed off the big bad of the season by pretty much blurting the plot out to his face. He was the earth guild master, he was a necromancer, and he didn't like my feathery tookis too much after that. Nor the hobling I pal'd around with at the time. So he sent out a kill squad of undead, targeting us. And they got us. First they got Solomon and dragged him off into the bushes. Then they got Diera and dragged me off to the same bushes. But they managed to *not* get followed off the field so no one knew where we were. And as the NPC was stuffing me in the bushes, I said "well, ain't no one going to find me here." And from next to me, I hear "tell me about it!" as Jeff starts taking off gear to go Res.

Still the best character death I've ever had happen to me.
 
My most recent resurrection was my Ogre's first. It was about half an hour after game on and I heard there were some undead outside the tavern with multiple people trying to lead us away to go check out the supposed undead. Obvious trap is obvious, but GRONK's a good Ogre so I decided to stay outside and at least kinda search the area. I had my IG sorta-girlfriend and an undead-hating Barbarian along with me, so I figured we'd be safe. Slightly farther out we see someone coming around so we go check it out - it's my wife playing what looks to be a normal human, and after talking for about 10 seconds we see the blood on her mouth. Hurray vampires.

So one thing leads to another, I'm chasing her through the field swinging my stick and dodging packets, only to realize both of my companions have disappeared (one was picked off by another vampire spawn, the other was OOG sick and decided to hang back). Wither, Reflect, Drain, Resist, Cause Mort, got it. I looked up from where I fell and saw I was at least 100 yards from the tavern, nobody nearby, and I fell forward on top of my light spell on a very dark night. I sat there, I counted out 6 minutes, and took all my stuff off without anyone going anywhere near as far out as I did.

On one hand, I got killed by a relatively weak vampire-spawn less than an hour into game, I got my IG girlfriend killed in the process, it was entirely my own fault, and on top of that it was my wife that did it... On the other hand, it's exactly the way I want GRONK to rez when it does happen. I chased an undead thing off into the dark and I got what was coming to me. :p
 
So I technically didn't rez during this story, but it was *really* close and it's my favorite story ever.
At our old site we had a huge 'lodge' building with a deck all the way around and doors at the front and back. The deck had railings and was high up off the ground so jumping it wasn't really an option.

The lodge was set up to be a huge spider nest for these despair spiders. The front door had been blocked off so the PCs fought around to the back door so they could go into the nest. We had a good 20-25 people on this mod, and the force split, with half staying outside to defend our rear, and half going inside.

Well, a bunch of spiders came around the corner the second our friends went inside and completely rolled us. Everyone went down. Nobody seemed to be coming back out so we all just sat there for a little while.

A minute passes...
No sign of our friends. The sounds of fighting were still coming from inside the building. We all started lying down and arranging ourselves to be properly 'dead' (sprawling out on the benches, crumpled on the floor, one guy draped himself over the railing, I swear some people had their tongues lolling out).

Another minute passes...
Where are our friends???!!!??!! They are like, 10 feet away from us inside a building! How is this happening?!!?!

Another 2 minutes pass...

SLAM a boot kicks open the back door. One of the most combat-experienced sword-wielding bad***es (who will most certainly not want to be named) comes running out, garb blowing in the breeze. He looked epic.
"IS EVERYONE OKAY OUT HERE?"
*all the dead bodies in front of him are silent*
"I SAID IS EVERYONE OKAY?"
*crickets chirp*
"GOOD. GLAD TO HEAR IT."
He turns, runs back into the fray still going on inside, the door slams behind him.
*dead bodies are bamboozled*

Healers got to us ~10 seconds before we would have all rezzed.
 
Alyssa and Pardano, squaring off in a 3' diameter CoP. I should probably have balked and freaked out in fear, but instead, I laid everything I had into his evil butt. He still killed me, and I circle rezzed while The Hunt fought two Shadow Dragons to try to save me... but man... I came so close to solo killing him, and it showed Alyssa's heart so very well that it was perfect. Also - the ensuing resurrection story was what started the romance between her and Tetsu, so that moment was just perfect.
 
A long time ago, in Ashbury, there had been a plotline which caused a significant rift between the Court of the Ash Forest, and the Order of the Scarlet Dawn. It came to a head with arrests, and vocal protests within the Ash forest to have the Baron removed. For years to come, there was a rivalry between our two teams, despite being "Good Guys". (The court fell on the side of Lawful Good, while the Order was far more Chaotic. At least in my character's opinion ;))

During one of the Ashbury events, both teams were there in a decent amount of force; enough that I honestly thought there would be a clash. Suddenly, all members of both teams were brought to the Ash Forest by the Forest Lord, who is a fae like creature and guardian of the two teams' respective home, called the Ash Forest.

As we walked through the forest, there were parts of it that were either corrupted, or otherwise having trouble. As we came to each problem, the Forest Lord would ask us who would help heal the forest; and there would be a unanimous set of hands in response.

Each time, one member from each team was made to sacrifice themselves (so one sacrifice from each team), and head to the circle to resurrect.

Being one of the last to go, I can remember looking around at who was left. It was Scarn and Baron Rorii; the pair who had the most animosity for one another. I can remember looking at Scarn, and having a short conversation about what sacrificing for the forest really meant. And then I laid my life down for a dark part of the forest that needed to heal.

I can remember taking all of my stuff off, and beginning the hike up to the Earth Circle with a friend, and looking back into the woods, wondering what the discussion would be like for the last two.

As all of us rezzed together, except those two, who came back with all of our stuff. From the minor debriefing, the Forest Lord had told them that they were working toward the same goal; that it was hurting the forest to be fighting amongst ourselves, instead of together.

I will always remember afterword, when Cedric and Rorii were beside one another laughing, with Cedric wearing the Baron's crown, and Rorii wearing one of the Scarlet Dawn circlets, and our two teams coming together. We were a force to be reckoned with on Sunday, finally working together for the greater good.

Never had rezzing been so worth it.

-Ali
 
Tulbor has died three times.
It wasn't at the hands of the big bad, or ganked by a group of bandits; he's a fighter, part of the force, not the name being spoken of at the front of the fight and i'm (most of the time) fine with that, so his deaths came in big battles, which is exactly what I expect.
One of those battles was a while ago in Crossroads against the Stregga and I was still fairly new so having 40-50 PCs on the field, it was epic. We have stories of that battle, particularly of my best friend mouthing off as he walked in a circle, surrounded by our fighting force and put on a show that was a sight to see. "Krieger, permission to mouth off?" "Permission granted." Ask about that sometimes, we'll happily tell the story and have a good laugh. But that's not the point.
The first two times I died (and I absolutely don't remember how) 3 people went to the circle with me. When I fell that day, 9 joined me.

That mouthy friend's theory? Next time it'll be 27.

I don't really want to test that theory .... kinda.
 
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Actually one of my favorite resurrection stories wasn't when I was still Pcing Jonothan. It was one of the few times I came back after retiring him. I think Ali was one of the people there when there was a discussion of how do we let the players know how badly the fubared. I looked up and said Jonothan still has several charges on his regen, let's have him fade away right when they say healing arts. The collective look on pcs faces when we did that were priceless.
 
My first Rez ever was just this past Barran closer. About a dozen of us went into a mod where we ran into the BBG and his undead army.
Out numbered, we ran back to to the tavern to get help. A handful of us were stuck behind the building, and had been chased by some stitch golems swinging massive.
The group I was hiding with ran one way. I ran the other. As I rounded the corner, I ran straight into the Necromancer, Kelker, and a PC he had raised as an undead. I wanted to save him and even tried to, but I was dropped alone behind the building and left to Rez.
No regrets, depending on what happens next, it gives me an opportunity to seek further revenge on him :)
 
My only rez so far is still a great moment in my character's career. We were fighting our families plot enemy Keshateru, and he was ensure resurrection on all Oasi members. Needless to say, he got me to a corner, had his whole army watching me at one point, I wasted a rebirth surprising the **** outta him, then going down again. So many people tried saving me, but it was too late. To top it off, I had a great rez and story given to me by Ali herself, which led me me releasing a great roar and some physical rp that came afterwards really made the moment awesome and soo IG.
 
First, I gotta introduce to you: Peat Moss. She is a dryad. She is insubordinate and snarky. She throws sketchy parties, curtsies sarcastically at our nobility, and does miscellaneous useful functions in wave battles such as endow-dragging, refitting, etc. The sort of things that one does to be useful without spending build, which is a thing that Peat Moss endeavors not to do.

I want to rez Peat Moss. Not in the bad way! I mostly NPC, and I often end up taking a flanker role that works basically to inspire an appropriate sense of unease in unguarded refitters. Peat Moss being a refitter and sometimes unguarded and entirely lacking combat skills and armor -- well, I have clubbed her a lot. Did I mention, she also does a great dramatic swoon? So eventually, this developed into sort of a running joke. Also, Peat's player is looking for the glorious roleplay moment of her first death ever in any LARP anywhere. She wants it to be the sort of thing that makes a good story and -- we speak somewhat facetiously, but there was some floating the idea of sending me out KBA against her in the event the right moment arose -- she wants her first time to be me. <3

Fairly late, I decide that I'm going to PC the November game. So this time, we conclude, Peat needs to exercise some self preservation lest she get killed by random wandering monsters and thereby ruin the consummation of our destined (and suitably character-appropriate and dramatic) murder-romance.

It turns out that Peat's idea of increased self-preservation is to hold a riotous party in an unwarded tent where half the partiers have no combat skills and the other half are not frontline fighters. One of whom is Riggs, my archer-rogue who has just learned some more variations on the fine art of not being hit while running away, running away being a major tactical element in the life of a crossbow archer (at least if said life is to be of any length).

The party is a good party. We have Gatorade in beer jugs and some really excellent brownies that -- in the tradition of our people -- have been enhanced by way of Intoxicate elixir. We are "drunk". Folks are taking off their shoes. I point out that I have brought the hot sausage, and anyone who wants to eat my hot sausage may have some provided that they are willing to light the fire. To cook the sausage on, I don't know what YOU were thinking. The shadow of a polearm falls across the tent. One that I recognize, because I see it a lot. In NPC camp.

Whoops.

It seems that remnants of an orc tribe that the town, uh, killed off in order to take their land (also something something necromancy, but never mind that) are a bit ticked about the whole being killed bit and have decided to engage in some nice calming random violence. Things like, e.g. killing and burning their way through tent camp. Which is where we come in.

The tent has in it: one adept archer, one crossbow archer, one rogue, one scholar, and one build dragon sitting on a hoard of unspent build. The tent has outside of it: an awful lot of fighter orcs armed with melee weapons and portrayed by some of the best boffer fighters in our game. We attempt to negotiate. We roll out one jug of gator-ale. The orcs accept our offering and conclude that it will make a great accompaniment to the eating of us. They commence to poking under the tent door with polearms. We commence to cowering in the back of the tent. Somewhere in here the orcs shatter the lock on the tent, the scholar fortresses himself in the door, a tug of war ensues over said scholar, and eventually he is forced out of the door and the door is opened.

A second jug of gator-ale goes out, as another peace offering. This one slightly modified. The primary orc stick-poker grabs the jug and takes a drink. A ruckus ensues. Eventually, somewhat fewer orcs reconvene on the eating-of-people-in-tent question. They are still in favor. The people in the tent are still against. Mostly. Except for Peat Moss, who elects to cover herself in Laugh elixir and offer herself to be eaten. Hilarity ensues. While hilarity is ensuing, the rest of us decide to break out of the tent aided by among other things my emergency stash of alchemy globes. I get my armor nearly beaten off and expend my dodge and evade, but I get away and start screaming.

This would be the bit where the entire town hears the screaming and a wall of melee fighters descends on the orcs to turn them into a paste. Except not. More screaming. Still no earth-shattering kaboom. I think, I have a sword! And backstabs! Perhaps I can stab the orcs in their backs? I try this, and realize that I am never going to get the rear of the orcs and I swing twos from the front and oh hey I have two health oh heeeeeeeeck. I flee for the tavern.

Now scene: slashed up and bloodied (IG), limping (OOG) and winded (both) MWE staggers down the road from tent camp screaming for help. The yelling from tent camp -- which is now "We need a Life item!" -- is in fact audible from the tavern. The yelling from the MWE is also now very audible from the tavern. Which is almost entirely deserted save for an intensely pragmatic kin and the very noncombatant dwarven chef, because all of the trompy trompy heroic plate mail has gone off to do hero business somewhere that is else.

Whoops.

I refit whilst reacquainting myself with the concept of breathing, and then head back in the direction of tent camp, at which scattered reinforcements are now arriving. At some point the scholar of earlier mention passes me heading to town literally carrying the corpse of Peat Moss whilst running through the snow wearing only his socks. More reinforcements arrive, kill the orcs, and bring a Life item to tent camp where the target corpse is now not. There is now some confusion as to where the item should go which is promptly resolved by the sound of an anguished scream of the "just saw my friend's body dissipate" variety from the direction of the healer's guild, upon whose doorstop said body had just been dumped. Bonus: really short walk to the circle!

About halfway through the resurrection, trompy trompy heroic plate mail in large quantities comes back down the road. "Hi guys, what's been happening?"

So, as it turns out, Peat was in fact killed by random wandering monsters in one of the two events I PCed this year -- but the death in question still ended up being a glorious minefield of roleplay moments that did in fact involve a character played by me.

I'm still going to rez her though. Someday.
 
I think my character Grim has had more than his share of redirections (ask my team). Two big ones stand out. The first is a big dracolich fight in Alliance NJ. It was guarding this magic stone bit we needed to save the world. The battle fell to chaos quickly. I remember it coming down to just a few of us left fighting it. Only one was a healer. He was the guy keeping us going as we worked to drop this huge monstrosity. We had been doing well and the dracolich (multi npc s each playing a diff segement) whirled and swung its claw to obliterate the healer. Grim being that good guy brought his blade up to block it. Knowing what taking the spellstrike obliterate meant. Two things when you rez.. First make sure the person you take the hit for isn't immune (he was bottled and didn't share) also don't forget if you have dodge items on you. The rez story was amazing and Grim was offered lands and a knighthood upon rez by the queen (which he declined). The second wasnt for the valorous death but for the rez.. The story allowed for the unrequited love grim had been harboring to be there when he ressurected holding his hand and it brought a ton of closure.
 
In Oregon there was an antagonist that had the carrier Enslavement and the ability to perform an Enslavement what seemed like at will. This guy was Enslaving entire communities. My Gypsy Fighter, Vishkin, did not appreciate this guy for being an Enslaver. So, Vishkin Gypsy Cursed this Antagonist to say "Kill me." with everything he said and did. As a result, as soon as he gave a command to one of his Enslaved it would be followed by "Kill me"... Needless to say, the Antagonist did not appreciate that.

His response was to Spellstrike Obliterate Vishkin into the ground. This lead to Vishkin's permanent death. But it was awesome.
 
I'm still going to rez her though. Someday.

I am Peat, and I approve this message.
I now hope against hope that Firebee is the first to perm me <3 <3 <3

To add just a smidge more flavor to what is already (in my opinion) a delicious story, before carrying me to the healer's guild, my kin friend managed to throw me into a different, significantly more warded tent, and ransack the joint possessions of those living there, looking for something that might help. He's not that much of a reader, so labels are not what you might call a priority. If it's in a bottle, down the gullet it goes. There were no cures or life spells, but when we embarked upon our jaunt up the road, Peat's corpse was marinating in a signature blend of antidote, sleep, intoxicate, and love elixirs. Bless his heart. <3
 
My rez story came from Seattle's last campaign. There was a giant corrupted tree spirit that the town had to deal with. It was Matt O in a giant tree suit he made. It was amazing. Anyway...

The battle started with me walking down to my cabin which was a ways away from everyone in the tavern. I figured, "This will be quick. I will just walk down, drop stuff off, and walk back." I get halfway across the field towards my cabin and here comes this giant tree and a bunch of animals and corrupted dryads. Whoops. I run back to the tavern to let people know and the battle ensues.

After an hour or 3 (honestly couldn't tell) of running around the tavern avoiding the giant tree and fighting everything, Karzel (my raccoonkin rogue) see's Vanyal (Jordan's human rogue) start swinging on the tree from behind. The tree turns to attack Vanyal and he was out of there. I got the bright idea "why not keep him turning?" so I ran up and started swinging from behind. I sense the tree turning, so I decide to run... I slipped and fell flat on my face as his branch-arm swung over the top of me missing me. I scramble back up and book it. The tree spits out some magic paralysis and hits me in the heel. Yes the heel. Like Achilles and everything. Guess who doesn't have dodges or a spell shield? The tree proceeds to pummel me into the ground, in the light, in front of the tavern.

While on the ground, the tree's marshal (Ron L) starts his slow incant of dragon magic. He is shouting so people can hear it and so there is time for interruptions. Nothing. He get's to the end and whispers "your friends are d****) and hits me with a shatter spirit. I strip down and start walking towards the earth circle. My OOG fiance takes off running towards the earth circle to res the person who just got shatter spirited.

I walk in to her sitting in the earth circle ready to start the resurrection. Her face drops when she sees its me, like oh, its only you :/. She finishes the resurrection and walks out saying "I thought it was Vanyal. If I knew it was you, I wouldn't have come." and leaves poor Karzel in the circle.
 
I am Peat, and I approve this message.
I now hope against hope that Firebee is the first to perm me <3 <3 <3

To add just a smidge more flavor to what is already (in my opinion) a delicious story, before carrying me to the healer's guild, my kin friend managed to throw me into a different, significantly more warded tent, and ransack the joint possessions of those living there, looking for something that might help. He's not that much of a reader, so labels are not what you might call a priority. If it's in a bottle, down the gullet it goes. There were no cures or life spells, but when we embarked upon our jaunt up the road, Peat's corpse was marinating in a signature blend of antidote, sleep, intoxicate, and love elixirs. Bless his heart. <3

I want to be clear that their cleverness was simply top notch. The "modified" alcohol had a domination elixir in it. That orc got taken down by his own people. The orc that tasted Peat and started giggling was so creepy, she was killed by her own group too. One was hit by a nausea gas. One was weakened. One was slept. So a group of basically non-combatants managed to drive off a group of seven seriously dangerous orcs. They lost Peat, but it was a serious triumph of cleverness over muscle and should never be forgotten.
 
Oh man, my first PC was a one year burnout 10% club member. The two that stick out are my first event and his permadeath.

On my first event the plot team had put out various diseases that had different effects. One made you essentially berserk, bleed out of the ears and burn up from aggression, but no, my high ogre had to go get the one which made you all phlegmy and eventually die in bed. The PCs were working on a cure, but short lived impatient races be short lived and impatient, right? So he finds out that there is a cure, going through the circle. Once he figures this out, Max tromps down to the tavern, drops off all his pitiful worldly goods except his sword, (mostly his armor) in front of his gypsy not-wife and then clomps out. Being new in town everyone had been telling Max not to bother the ants. They're part of the ecosystem and blah blah blah blah... So Max decides the best way to go out is to find the biggest anthill he can find and chop his way through it until he keeled over dead. No one told him that the green ants shoot acid that can shatter your weapon... your only weapon. This is when a sane individual would run. Instead I mime punching and get eaten. They go tell my not-wife in the tavern the terrible news and expect her to get all concerned, and to her credit the words out of her mouth "That idiot!" Love you too Demona. ;) Anyways, off to the circle where this poor nature loving elf is trying to tell a happy little spring story and Demona is in the back yelling at her to have her talk about how I still needed to defeat her, and how my mother would say my death was dishonorable. That poor poor flustered elf....

I have another great story about death... but on that one I didn't resurrect.
 
Best Rez story is not from Alliance, but International. My Baron got tried for treason along with 13-15 other people for the permanent death of the Crown Regent (long story, but he kind of asked for it). The whole trial was a National level thing almost given the level of NPC's they brought in for it. It ran the whole event for all intents and purposes. I was actually the only person on trial from outside the chapter where the trial took place so I was the only person away from home as it were. I was also at this point alone. Still stood through the whole thing. Got to meet the new Duke of the Duchy and get to know him a bit and befriend him as he was uninvolved (Trial was above the level of a Duke after all).

End of the trial the sentences come out. One acquittal. A couple of single deaths, and obliterates for a dozen people. I get to eat two. So I figure, heck...if you are going to go out, at least it was a great story at the end of a massive win (We had just killed the Chapter villain). So a friend offers to cast the obliterate and I have a bunch of people just sit all bedside with me throughout the first casting. It completes. The Duke grabs my things and refuses to let anyone else touch anything as he goes up to the guild to await. I resurrect successfully to a bunch of rather beautiful women around me (all friend)s. I am still Resurrection sick, but I tell the caster to do the second because really, what did it matter. Said ladies remain in the circle and I had the comfiest pillow to dissipate on after the second obliterate.

The coda was that the Duke was amazed to see me walk out of the circle 15 minutes later. The next morning I managed to get one of the most "how care's" adventurers around almost choke on his morning smoke when he realizes I am still alive. I left the gathering with more friends and fellows than I had arrived with, and a reputation for cheating death. I know it, because it became a trivia card. I guess that is epic.

Joe S.
 
Rezzed once by falling into another plane. Long story short, there was an evening where the Tavern building in Kzoo was covered in a portal. I happened to be involved in a fight next to it, got knocked unconscious, and unintentionally fell against the wall. Cue rifting out, just as the group of folks who intentionally touched the thing rifted back in to escape the fight on the other side. :D
 
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